


Moving Mountains

by PoutyRafeVane1975



Category: Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag
Genre: Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Gen, Little Bit of Everything, Minor Spoilers, Swearing, almost everyone lives, creative cursing, everybody else is mentioned, story line altering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-03-01 02:44:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13285281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoutyRafeVane1975/pseuds/PoutyRafeVane1975
Summary: Charles Vane and... Elizabeth? are cast away by Jack Rackham. Elizabeth tried making a deal with Jack to keep Vane from being cast away, but he was not having it. Instead, they made a deal- her for Edward. Charles and Elizabeth are now on a not so fun journey to Isla Providencia. While drifting to the island on The Ranger and while on the island, many things happen to- and between, Charles and Elizabeth.





	1. Renegades

Jack Rackham and the rest of Vane's crew had mutinied him, voting Rackham as the new Captain.

"As for you two grog blossoms, I can't take any chances." He said as he waved his hand at Edward Kenway and Vane. Elizabeth Morgan was standing off to the side, just slightly behind Adewale. Until an ex crew member of Vane's kicked him in the back of the knee, holding him in place with a hand on Ade's shoulder to keep him on his knees, also holding a gun to the back of his head. This made Edward seethe with rage. He wanted to break the man's neck, along with Rackham's, but he knew that if he moved then it would be over for the four of them. 

Elizabeth was standing on her own now as she shimmied to the left, closer to Jack. Not intentionally, of course. She could not stand the man. He was constantly drunk or hungover, either way never sober. He had no morals. He was disgusting to women and she didn't understand how Bonny even liked him. Though, she respected Bonny and she was very close with her. They were sisters, not by blood, but by bond.

"You'll regret this day, Rackham." Edward spat as he tried to keep his voice calm. "I regret most of them already." Jack said, pausing momentarily, then whirled his hands, commanding, "Tie them up. Cast 'em off."

"No!" Elizabeth jumped in. "You're not doing anything with them, Jack." "And what makes you think so, sweetie?" He took a step towards her and went to place a hand on her chest, but she backed away before he could even get an inch closer. "You're not sending Charles away." She had tears in her eyes, tears of fury. 

"Is the Lass going to cry, eh?" He teased. "What an asshole." Elizabeth thought. "You're. Not. Sending. Charles. Anywhere." She made sure to pronounce every syllable clearly and loudly. All eyes were on her. She glanced at Edward, and his look was telling her to be careful and to not test her luck. 

"Aye, that's where yer mistaken. I am sending Charles off. And there ain't a damn thing you can do about it." He turned away, but she wasn't letting this happen.

"Then replace Kenway with me." She spoke up bravely. Edward's face was that of shock. He was worrying in his mind, wondering how and why she could request such a thing. "Elizabeth," he said softly. "Hush, Kenway!" Rackham barked. "Let me think on this, why don't ya?" The two men made brief eye contact, then Edward's eyes were back to her. He shook his head, but she just blinked slowly in response. He nodded and forced an understanding, whatever it was.

"On one condition, though," She said. Jack turned from his pacing and gave Elizabeth a questionable look. "And? Spit 't out, Lass!"

"You don't lay a damn hand on Edward. Nothing happens to him. No one hurts him. If you do, any. Of. You. His friends will know. You'll all die." Jack's face was pure terror. Seeing this made Vane smile and give Elizabeth a "thank you" nod. 

He took a deep breath in and looked around at his new crew. Their expressions were all the same: terror. Fear. It's as if they were all pissing their pants right then and there. Jack knew that he had to agree. He wasn't scared for the crew, he couldn't care less about them. He was scared for himself, that selfish bastard.

He made eye contact with Elizabeth, which was very unlike his, and nodded him head, "We've reached an agreement." He reached his hand out for a handshake, which was also unlike him. She hesitantly went to return the reach. Just as she did, a man behind her grabbed her and threw her over to Vane and Edward. She was thrown with a great force and had lost her footing, almost falling to the deck. Vane had reacted quickly and caught her before she could hit the floor. "Be careful, you fuckin' twat! You tryin'a hurt a lady? The hell's wrong with you?" Charles yelled as he helped her gather her balance. "Charles, I'm fine." she whispered as she used his arms as balance. Charles spat in Jack's direction and scoffed at him, his face curled into a look of hatred and disgust for everything Jack's ever done. 

Edward gave her a pat on the arm and made his way over to Jack. He couldn't look at her for more than a couple of seconds. He was worried for the both of them. He knew that they would protect one another, but what worried him was the mystery of not knowing where they were going to be cast off. 

"No time for goodbye's, you fuckin' queers." Jack growled. With that, the two were tossed onto Vane's done for ship, with no sails and no rudder. Jack's "crew" sailed off in the opposite direction. It became more distant as it felt like The Ranger was just floating in one spot, not moving an inch. 

Vane was at the bow of the ship. He began yelling curses towards Jack to the sky, or whoever was listening. Elizabeth was sitting with her back against the wheel. She had no idea how to steer a ship and she wasn't about to try with one that didn't even work. Vane was the captain, but he was too blinded with rage to even do that. 

"I'll gut you, Jack Rackham! I'll open you up, tear out your organs, and string a bloody lute with 'em!" "Oh no," she thought. "Here we go again."

"I'll cut you a new cunt, Traitor!!" Elizabeth stood, having had enough of Vane and his creative cursing. Jack would get what was rightfully his in due time.

"Charles, stop your goddamn howling! It's not bloody use!" She figured that he hadn't heard her. "Well, well. The Princess Lass speaks, eh? Tell me how we're in a better situation than what Kenway and I woulda been! And tell me how we're gettin' anywhere on a ship with no fucking rudder and sails!"

"Shut! Your! Gob!" she screamed and stomped over to him. "What are you doin' over here, eh? What are ya gonna tell me? Or, are ya here to kill me, slit my throat?"

"Charles, I'm not going to kill you, for fucks sake! Just- just calm down." "Why?! He took my crew! He took Edward! He's going to screw 'em all over! And you know damn fucking well that he ain't gonna keep 'is hands off Kenway, you know that!!" He stepped closer to her and it made her jump slightly. But she stood her ground, sure she might have to fight the man, if it came down to it. 

"If you can keep a level head and listen to me, then maybe I can talk some sense into ya." She tried keeping her voice calm. It wasn't working as well as she was hoping for, and Vane noticed, but he calmed his expression and tone. "A'right," he threw his hands down in defeat and stopped making fists. "But I swear to the Heaven's if you say somethin' fuckin' stupid! Then I ain't talking to you for the rest of the night."

She sassed, "Oh a night. How awful." He shot her a look of scorn, but hidden behind it, not so well, was a smile or laugh trying to break through. Charles knew that he had an attitude and sass, so whenever someone gave it right back to him, he respected them. 

His hand motioned her to keep talking, "As you were tellin'...?" She nodded and continued. "Jack will get what he deserves in time. You may not think so, I know that you don't. And I understand why you think that way. But, Vane, trust me- he will." "Whatever..." he scoffed. "Where the Hell we headed anyway? This ain't got no direction to it. We're fucked!" 

"With that attitude, yeah, we are. We've got to drift towards a shore at some point." He looked at her, once again trying to hide a smile or laugh from his expression.


	2. Depths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charles and Elizabeth spend the night together on The Ranger as it slowly sinks into the ocean. He asks her something, and if he's honest, he's not sure if he wanted to know the answer. Then again, Elizabeth couldn't think of a proper answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a little bit of fluff in this part!

Night time had fallen. Elizabeth and Charles had hardly spoken since earlier, only a few words were shared since that time. 

Vane was still hanging around the front of the ship when she was making her way over to him. "Ey, Vane! D'you have a pipe and tobacco?" He looked behind him and saw her. "Come again?" His voice was quiet. Unusual. "Pipe and tobacco. You got 'ny?" "Uh..." he hesitated. She rolled her eyes as she grew impatient with his lack of an answer. "Aye, yeah. Yeah. One second." He walked away and was back within a few minutes. He handed her a pipe packed well with tobacco. He had one for himself.

He lit a match and lit both of their pipes. "I didn't take you for a smoker." he said as he took a drag. "I'm not," she said, taking a much longer drag than Vane had thought she would have. "But that don't mean I haven't. Additionally, dealing with yer shite is stressing me out." 

He laughed. "Well, I'll have you know that smoking don't exactly cure or help with stress, Darlin'. Not in my cases, anyway." She shrugged. "I don't care much."

The both of them leaned on the railing and puffed on their pipes for a few minutes in silence. The clouds had finally gone and it was a clear night. The only sounds were the waves calmly crashing on the sides of The Ranger and the seagulls that were still out.

"Bloody rats with wings. Can't fuckin' stand 'em." Vane said, snuffing out the embers and tucking it into his inner coat pocket. "You done with yours?" He asked as his hand reached over to her. "I've only got so much tobacco left." She nodded and exhaled the smoke before she snuffed the embers. She handed it to him, and he put it in the same pocket as the other pipe. "The storage and crew quarters are gettin' flooded. It's not happening too fast, but fast enough that we won't be on here for much longer. I grabbed what I could when I was down there earlier, which wasn't much. Fuck head took whatever he pleased..."

"Hopefully we'll come across land soon." In response, Charles just made a grunt noise. It gave off the vibe that he didn't really care much. The ship was moving, however slowly. 

"So," he started, resting his arms on the rail again and looking over to her. "Tell me, Elizabeth," He said her name with a hint of disdain. "Why did you choose to be cast away? Why'd you take Edward's place?"

She shrugged. She didn't really have an answer. Rather, she didn't know what to answer with. "I don't know, to be honest. I couldn't see this happening to him." She looked down at the water. Charles looked away from her. An almost normal, nearing sad, expression showed across his face as he also looked to the water. It was shimmering beautifully under the moonlight. "It's a full moon tonight." he mentioned. She nodded. He looked down to his hands and sighed. "Alright. I'll just ask it, then." He turned his body towards her, now resting one arm on the rail. She noticed his movement and looked over to him. 

"Why did you try to negotiate with Jack about me?" She stuttered in her mind to find an answer. Again, she didn't have one. All she knew is that it was what felt right in the moment. 

"It felt like the right thing to do." She gathered her thoughts. "I'm waiting for you to say some childish bullshit, "Oh, you love Kenway? What about me?!" He laughed at the way she imitated him. He could truthfully say that he enjoyed her sense of humor and company. "Nah. No, Elizabeth. I'm past that. This ain't a joke, either. I'm not Jack. Now, if we was sittin' 'round a table playing cards, then I would have said that." He paused. When he spoke, his voice was light and saddened. "But this ain't cards around no table."

She noticed the shift in his voice, facial expression, and body language. 

"I know that both you and Edward are capable of survival and that you'd have each other's backs. I know that. I couldn't stand to think of you in that- this, position, though." She shook her head in disbelief. "But here I am," he laughed. He brought a hand up and placed it on her arm, to which she looked up at him. "You tried. You did what you thought was right." His hand gave a reassuring squeeze to her arm. "And that's more than what a lot of people have done for me." She gave him a weak smile as tears began to tickle the back of her eyes. "I'm tired." she spoke quickly. "Get some rest then. If anything happens, I'll wake you."

She nodded at him and made her way for the helm. She laid down on her back and looked up at the stars. Even though it was a warm and mildly humid night, she was becoming hot and sweaty, even in just a blouse and long trousers. She removed her boots and trousers, now only in her underwear and blouse. It offered some relief.

Elizabeth had started to doze off from counting the stars when heavy footsteps were making their way toward her. She sat up and saw Vane walking up the stairs to the helm, looking at his feet. 

"Is everything alright?" She asked. He thought she was sleeping, so when he saw her in her current attire, he was slightly distracted. He's never seen her with so little clothing on before. Before she would notice that his mind was wandering places, he answered her. "Everything's well. I'as just coming up to catch some rest." 

He said with his back against the wheel and sighed, staring off into the distance at the islands he once plundered and called home. She took him by surprise when she scoot up to him and laid her head in his lap. "Hi...?" he said, confused. "I can move if you want," she offered. He laughed and shook his head. "Yer fine. Just seems- odd? for you. But I'm not sayin' no."

He instinctively brought his hands to her long hair and calmly twirled it between his fingers. When he realized what he was doing, he abruptly stopped. "Shit, sorry." She laughed, "You can keep doing it. I'm not saying no." She closed her eyes when he started again. It was a relaxing feeling and it was driving her to sleep.

"It's been a while since I've been this close to a woman before. I mean, since I've played with a woman's hair. I didn't know that I would come to like it." He admitted and laughed at himself. 

With her eyes still closed, she asked, "Did I shock you when you first came up here, Charles?" He was surprised. He didn't think that she noticed that he was gazing at her. "Aye. I'll admit that I was distracted and shocked. Just a bit. Ain't never seen ya like this before." 

She giggled at his answer, though she expected it. "An' I'm guessing it's been a while since you've seen a woman like this?" He looked down to her and she felt his eyes on her. She opened her eyes, still smiling from her previous giggle. "Not exactly," he said with a cocky tone. He looked back to the islands. 

"Oh?" He nodded. "Whores don't count." She retorted and closed her eyes again. His mouth dropped in response. "You little shite! I can't believe you said that!" His tone was playful and she laughed. "So I'm right?" He grunted. Damn her. "Yeah... Now hush and go to sleep." He laughed once more and continued twirling her hair.


	3. Start, End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charles and Elizabeth are now on shore. They tend to cast away things. In the evening, they share a talk.

Elizabeth had a rude awakening due to Vane shouting at her. "Get up, now!" 

She shot up. "What?" "We need to get going." She nodded, still groggy, and put her trousers and boots on quickly. She stood up and walked towards Vane. "What's going on, has something happened?" 

"Land!!" he shouted excitedly. She was now by his side, where they were smoking the previous night, and saw an island. "So," she began. "The ship isn't sinking?" she emphasized. "It ain't, Love." She sighed through her nose and said, under her breath, "You fuckin' sorry sonnuva bitch." She turned to look at him and yelled, "You nearly scared me to death, Charles!" She playfully slapped his arm and laughed. "That was one Hell of a wake up call, I'll give ya that." He was laughing, something that was rare to see, and she took it in. Her smile widened at the sound of his laugh. "But if you ever, ever! do that again, I'll unman you." His laughing stopped, though a smile was still on his lips, as he said, "I highly doubt that you have it in you to do that." 

"Don't test me, man. Given the chance, there's things I woul' do t'ya without a second thought." 

What did she mean by that? Charles picked up on this possibly suggestive theme. 

"And was what you just said, said without a second thought?" He glanced her way, a bit nervous to look at her for even a few seconds, but more so to keep a look out for the nearing land. She laughed a bit nervously. "Let's... ignore that. Shall we?" she said, turned around and began pacing. 

He looked back at her and laughed it off to himself. "What a misfit." Vane had to admit to himself, at least in his mind, that he enjoyed her company and her mannerisms and antics. They had known each other ever since Elizabeth had made her way into Nassau shorty after Vane did. She worked with Anne Bonny at the Tavern for a short while, but she soon realized that the place wasn't the right setting for her. In her few months there, though, Charles and Elizabeth had gotten along fairly well, and quickly. Unexpectedly, to the both of them, they had been seeing each other outside of the Tavern. 

Charles had stopped going in to just get drunk, and began going in to visit Elizabeth. Before they saw each other outside the Tavern, he had offered her to sit with him. At first she refused, assuming that he was going to drink the whole time. But he told her, "I'm here to see you, not drink." She blushed at his remark and decided that it wouldn't hurt. He had treated her nicely, and since he got along with Anne, she would sit with him.

A few nights later when he had visited again, which happened to be the night she quit, is when he first asked her if she wanted to do other things instead of "hang about in this dark shite hole". She agreed, saying, "I'm quittin' anyway. I can't stand it here. I love Anne, and to see you and the others, but I can't stand the treatment. I don't know how she puts up with it." Vane agreed, "She's a fighter, that one."

Elizabeth had excused herself from the table. She told Anne that she was quitting, who seemed a bit saddened by the news, but understood. Anne pointed her in the direction where she had last seen the boss. There was some yelling and what sounded like objects being thrown. Vane had hoped it was things being thrown and not Elizabeth being hurt. He was protective of his friends, the right ones, at least. He hadn't been so protective over a woman so soon like he was with her.

When she walked out, he sighed with relief and smiled when he saw her smiling- a big, shit eating grin. 

"What'd you do?" He just knew that she had done something, said something. She sat down and Anne took a seat as well, "Do tell!" Elizabeth laughed, "Shit head tried to grab a'hold o' me and do God knows what he was thinkin' after I said I quit. He raised his other hand and yelled at me that he outta kill me, because "I'm lucky that a woman like me has a job at all". I pulled my knife on him and he began begging for me not to kill 'em, throwin' bottles and bowls and books at me. I didn't threaten him, only warned him. I don't think he'll be coming out anytime soon!"

Charles laughed and put a hand on her back, "That's my girl!" Anne was happy as could be. "I doubt he'll want to stay the boss here any longer, Elizabeth. He knows that I stabbed a housemaid when I was thirteen, among other things. Bastard was eavesdropping on me 'n Edward a while back." After that, she got up and returned to tending the bar.

"Elizabeth," he said and looked to her. "Yes, Vane?" She was relieved to be done with that place. "D'you think maybe we could get out of 'ere? We don't have to do anything, it's not a date either, I swear. I just-" She was laughing at how flustered he suddenly became. "Yes, Charles. Let's go." She got up from her seat and he followed.

The rest is history.

Vane was so deep in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Elizabeth made he was back over next to him. He also stopped paying attention to how close the ship was getting to land. 

"That looks like Isla Provedencia." Her voice snapped him out of his daydream. He hadn't thought about that night ever. It just happened, and that was it. He didn't think back on it, or many other things.

"W-what?" He cleared his throat. "Are you okay, man?" She looked at him. "I'm lovely!" he responded, probably too soon and too cheery. She gave a light laugh, "A'right. Anyway, I said that looks like Isla Provedencia. And if it is, it'll make it easier for us to get our bearings." He looked at her as if he was somewhat confused, which he was. His mind was still stuck on the thought of her, even though she was right in front of him. She hasn't changed one bit since the first time they met. She hasn't changed from the night she quit the Tavern. 

She explained, "So we can make our way back to civilization, ye daft." He chuckled at her insult. She was right, however. "Cat got yer tongue?"

His gaze shifted from the water to her. For some reason, he was distracted by her black curly locks that made their way down to her waist. She noticed his eyes trailing her body, so she thought. "Man!" 

"Shit," he whispered. "I'm sorry. You're right." He looked back ahead of him, still feeling her eyes on him. He glanced at her for a few seconds and reassured her, "I'm fine. I didn't sleep too well."

"Well we've got about another hour er so 'til we reach land. Go get some rest, even the little bit will help ya. Ain't nothing happenin' to the ship? Get some sleep." He understood. He made his way to where they had slept the other night. It was a lie- he had slept fine, for the most part, even for a few hours. His mind was on other things. His mind was on her. 

He had an hour to think, or an hour to sleep. He wasn't sure how he was going to spend it, but he guessed it was going to be spent trying to sleep but too focused on thinking. And that's how it was.

He had closed his eyes and tried to get some rest, but every time he felt like he was close to falling asleep, his mind would drift back to Elizabeth. He didn't mind entirely, but he actually wanted to sleep- just to stop thinking about her for a while. He couldn't piece together why. He couldn't think of when his mind decided to go haywire with her. It's not like he was in love with her, or that he even loved her. He was sure it wasn't either of those. He'd loved women in the past, fell in love in the past. He told himself that he'd never do it again. It ended so terribly and hurt him too much to want to feel like that again. But Elizabeth was different. She wasn't like any of the women he had loved or wanted to marry. She wasn't even like the whores he had flings with. He had become almost desperate enough to see the same whore a few times, hoping that maybe something good would come of it. Almost. But she's a whore, and he knew that, and he knew it was stupid to hope for a good thing to come from a person as such.

Elizabeth, though, was full of light and hope. She wanted away from the Tavern, then eventually away from Nassau. She felt stuck, he had heard her thoughts of how she had made up these scenarios in her mind of a better life for herself, a life that she wanted to be content with living. She did it, too. Not all exactly to plan, but she did it, and she was proud of it. It inspired him, something not many people sparked in him. Typically, he knew that no one could tame or calm the anger he has inside of him. And it was true, not even Elizabeth could do it. Not because he wouldn't allow for it, he had tried. It just wasn't possible. She may not have been able to tame him, or even calm him, but he knew that she offered some form of peace. He had definitely snapped at her and argued with her. Any hurtful word that he's said to her, he never meant it. But he knows, for her, she meant it for him. He's witnessed it on more than one occasion and it wasn't a sight to be thankful for. He's seen her plunder, for he's offered her the chance to and she's always said yes. He's seen her kill- while plundering or because she had no other choice.

Sometimes he questioned if she was more evil than him. Maybe that's why he had taken such a strong liking to her- she was everything he was, yet wasn't. He had only chosen the people that were what he wasn't, figuring that the light would balance with the dark. That's not always the case, though, and he was just now seeing this. 

He had his times, once in a while, where he wondered if she felt the same as he did- the same constant, yet slight, confusion. The adoration for his personality, like he had for hers. The giddiness he feels whenever he's in her company. Even with a game of cards, around all their other friends, he still felt like a kid who couldn't stop being excited over nothing. Happy for no reason, that's what it was. He wondered if any of it were mutual. 

"Ah, fuck this." He sat up and rested his arms on his knees, a bit cantankerous because he couldn't fall asleep.

Elizabeth had come up to him. "Ah, just in time! Land's gettin' closer, we need t' get going." He stood and saw for himself- the island was getting closer.

"There's no boats on this thing, is there?" She asked. "There ain't because Rackham took 'em." He said Jack's name with a strong sense of loathing. She shook her head, "I can't believe the nerve of that thin prick." Charles laughed at her insult. "That's putting it lightly, Dear. But I agree with ya. We're going to have to swim to shore."

Her arms fell from their crossed position to her sides. "I was expecting that." They made their way to the side of The Ranger. Vane took one last look behind him at the ship he's come to know and love. "I'm gonna miss her..." She caressed his arm, offering comfort. "I know, Charles." She smiled at him. He looked back to her, at her smile- he felt, in that moment, that one day it might kill him. He couldn't help but smile at her touch and kindness. 

He knew that they had to get going and head for land, the ship wasn't going to stay floating forever. And if they were on board when the ship hit land, it wouldn't end well. "Let's go." was all he said before he jumped into the water. 

Elizabeth wasn't expecting him to be so sudden. She looked over and saw him come to the surface. When he caught his breath, he yelled up to her, "The water is fine!" She laughed and followed suit.

Vane was right- the water was fine.

They made it safely to the shore, although they had to make it further inland before the ship crashed. They laid together in the sand catching their breath.

"I hope," Elizabeth gasped, "that we never, never! have to do that again..." All Vane could respond with was a weak smile as he laid there, trying to regain his breath. She sat up, still panting, and shouted, "I'll fucking gut you, Jack Rackham!" Vane laughed and it made him breathe for air even more. "Darlin', I thought there was no use to that?"

"F-fuck it."

He wanted to know why on God's green Earth that slightly aroused him? "F-fuck it." He kept playing it over in his mind. 

"That man's a shit eating, good for nothin', grass blade dicked fuckin' shite cunt." It all rolled off her tongue with ease. 

"I've never heard ya curse like that before. That was somethin'!" She nodded. "Yeah. Now get up so we can head inland. You've had yer breather." She stood and offered him her hand so she could help him up, to which he accepted. He stumbled when he first got to his feet, but she kept a hold on his arm to help him along. She was laughing lightly at his clumsy footing. "The fuck you laughin' at?" He shot her a look with his words, but it made her laugh harder. She knew that he didn't mean it. "Y-you! I didn't take you as a clumsy fucker." 

He tried to nudge her but failed. "I was going to say that I wasn't, but I suppose that I am."

"Aye," she breathed. "We might get lucky and find crates of rum, maybe some wine." He laughed in response, still trying to catch his breath in the slightest. "That, my Dear, would be a goddamn miracle. Though I think food is more important." She laughed at him. "Man! The alcohol could be useful for more than drinking. But I gotta say, I'm surprised that you mentioned something bein' more important that rum."

"I'll have you know that I have not ever been an alcoholic. After seeing my father go down that path, and Edward, I ain't about to follow the same. I don't want to see you going that way, either." Her expression hardened. She used to drink a lot when she was a teenager, almost an adult. Even as she was becoming an adult, she still drank. She hated that she even let that get the best of her. After an awful night of drinking too much whiskey, she never drank that much since. She made a promise, to herself and for herself, that she wouldn't do that again. And she hasn't. Much like Vane, she didn't want to follow her father's ways. She refused to become an alcoholic. 

"I don't plan on it, Charles. My father was the same as yours." He never knew this about her. He looked over to her as they made their way through the vegetation on the island. "I guess we learn something new every day, huh?" She shied away from his gaze. "I suppose so." 

It was nearing midday when they reached a suitable area to set up a camp. There was water, food, and shade. 

"Charles," she started with a gentle tone. "If you wouldn't mind setting up some shelter, then I'll gather us some food. I think I see some movement in the water." He nodded to answer her and they set off to their assigned duties. 

Vane luckily had a knife on him and it was serrated, which helped him to cut through, at least, small branches so that he could set them up a shelter. The vegetation on the island was more than enough and it varied in size. He worked on making them a hut that was wide and long enough for both of them to sleep in comfortably. 

After weaving together smaller sticks and making sure it was secure, he was about to set out to find large leafs to use as "siding" and "roofing" on the hut. Even in the shade, he noticed how much hotter it was. He took his longcoat off and tossed it on top of the hut, satisfied when it didn't budge. After that, he made his way into the forest. It was filled with the sounds of birds screeching and red howler monkeys. He kept his knife close to his side, assuming that there was sure to be jaguars about.

As for Elizabeth, she was fishing. She had forgotten to grab her swords, but she thought that Jack probably took them anyway, so it was no use. Like Vane, though, she also had a knife on her. It was only serrated on one side, unlike Vane's, which was double serrated, but it still got the job done when she made a spear out of a stick. She made three spears for the time being. They were slender and as sharp as she could make them, but they had enough weight so they would burst through the water without stopping or hesitating.

She removed her boots and breeches and stepped into the water that went up to her mid thighs. Although it was humid and hot, the water had a chill to it that she enjoyed. The sand in the water was slightly squishy, but it was soft and fine. There was the occasional rock that she would step on and wince in pain, but it didn't stop her concentration. Just as she spotted a fish, she saw a group of crabs. "Those will be easy to catch." She lowered the spear and caught two crabs as they passed by with ease. The sudden movement of the water made the animals realize that there was a predator amongst them, causing them to scurry away. She was let down, for she wanted to catch more, but two crabs would do for now. 

She carried the food and spears back to where her and Vane agreed to make camp, but before she arrived she saw something odd off in the brush, just inside of the forest. She walked over to it and saw that it was a crate with wheels. She found the opening, blessed that it didn't have a lock, and opened it. As if by chance, inside it had a couple of buckets, mugs, and bottles. She set the crabs down inside of one bucket, knowing she would use the other to gather drinking water. She set the spears down on the ground and reached into the crate. Picking up a bottle and dusting it off, she realized it was full- and there were another dozen bottles in the crate, as well. It was wine and rum!

In her excitement, she almost forgot about her boots and trousers. She quickly gathered her clothing and tossed everything into the crate. It was difficult to push through the sand, it didn't allow for easy movement. She made it and she was thrilled. She couldn't wait for Vane to return so she could show him what she found.

She noticed his longcoat on top of the hut, which made her take in what he had made previously. She smiled at his work. She had to hand it to him, she didn't think she would be able to make something as impressive. Elizabeth grabbed his coat and put it on. She didn't care how hot it was, she wanted to know what his coat felt like. It felt... empowering, to be dressed like Charles Vane. She smiled to herself and set off to find fire wood and anything else that would help them. 

A few hours had gone by until all was done and they could finally settle down. Charles had been back at their hut for a while, waiting for Elizabeth to return. He opened the crate and was excited to see the alcohol, but he wanted to wait for her to return so he could ask her what the plan was with it. He took the bucket out with the crabs in it and set it in the sand. When he was doing so, he noticed her breeches and boots inside the crate as well. He laughed and took them out. As he turned to the hut, he noticed that his coat was gone. He had a suspicion that she was wearing it. Shortly after, he heard footsteps coming closer to him, and it was Elizabeth. 

When she came more into view, he laughed when he saw her in his longcoat with only her underwear and blouse under it. The sight was pleasing to him. His eyes skimmed over her curves that her underbust corset hugged just right. He couldn't help but let his eyes drift down to her legs, drinking in the sight of them. Her thighs were beautifully thick. The thought of her closing her legs as he pleasured her with his tongue made him lick his lips. Thankfully, she hadn't seen him until he snapped himself out of his daydream and greeted her. 

"Aye, need me to help carry 'ny of that?" She shook her head, "I'm fine. But thank you!" She placed the firewood and dead leafs next to the hut. 

She noticed that he was looking at her, so she figured that he was wondering why she was wearing his coat. "Yeah, I took it. I just wanted to wear it to see how it felt to be Captain Vane." They shared a laugh. "Ah," she noticed the crabs in the bucket were out. "I tried catching some fish but they swam away when I grabbed the crabs. We can always catch more."

Charles was thinking of something to answer her with or something to say, but he couldn't. He was too distracted by his thoughts to form a thought that wasn't, well, perverse. He shook his head lightly, as if he was hoping it would shake his thoughts. Despite the fact that Vane was drinking in the sight of her, Elizabeth also couldn't keep her mind on one track. She was trying to think of any time when she hadn't seen Vane without his longcoat on, which she concluded to never. If he wasn't wearing the coat he was known for, then it was another coat. He constantly wore a coat over his blouse. It completed the look. However, her eyes kept meeting the mustard yellow ascot around his neck. She liked it in the first place, but when he was without his coat, it added more to him. Not to mention, the extremely deep V of his shirt wasn't laced up as it had been. It's like he was still himself, but also a different person appearance wise. 

Elizabeth finally broke the silence that was quickly becoming unbearable to them. "Did you see all the alcohol?!" "Aye. What'll we do with it?" "We should keep at least two bottles of rum in case of emergency, y'never know. The wine ain't good for much other'n drinking, so we can drink that. Looks to be more rum than wine." He agreed with a nod. 

She began taking off his jacket, which his eyes snapped to her figure in an instant. "'m guessing you might want this back? Though it's hotter than Hell out here." She handed it to him. "I'm not puttin' it on right this moment, but thanks." He paused and looked away from her, "It looks better on you anyway." His voice was slightly muffled due to him being nervous. "'scuse me?" He looked back to her with a serious expression. "I said; it looks better on you anyway." She cross-examined him with a look. "Charles Vane sayin' someone looks better in his attire than he?!" He huffed and swiped it from her hand in a playful manner, "Give it here." He couldn't help but try to hide a smile that was creeping its way to his mouth.

"The hut looks good." She told him. "Huh?" He realized what she was talking about. "Oh. Uh, thank you." Once more, he was absentminded on everything else but her. "Is somethin' on your mind?" She asked and he felt like there was no where to run. "All I can think about is Rackham. Maybe there was a way we could've avoided this entire situation." He threw his coat onto the sand in the shade and sat next to it. He brought his knees to his chest and let his arms dangle over them, all with a sigh. 

Elizabeth sat down next to him. They sat in silence for a few minutes and took in the sight of the waterfall just in the distance, where Elizabeth was fishing earlier. 'Me too, man. Me too..." She was lying though. Both of them were. Sure, they both had their thoughts of how the situation might have never happened, or if there were any better options. But they both knew that it had already been done and they can't change it. All they can do, for now, is survive. Charles' mind was on Elizabeth more than her mind was on him, but that doesn't mean that she didn't think of him. 

"We've got to get off this island at some point, right Elizabeth?" His voice was quiet, almost a sad whisper. She went to nod to answer, but remembered that he wasn't looking at her. "We do. If it's by our own means of escaping or someone rescues us, we will. I'll be damned if I don't get to see Edward or Adewale ever again. Or Anne 'n Kidd. Thatch. Hornigold..." Talking about their friends in such a negative energy made her tear up, causing her to wipe away any tears before they fell. 

"Y'know Kidd is actually Mary, 'ight?" Charles asked. Elizabeth smiled, "I know. They're one helluva stubborn ass." "We can agree on that. T' be quite honest with ya, I wouldn't care if I never saw Hornigold again. Self righteous shite." Vane was right about Ben, but she still had some respect for him. "Yer not wrong. Think the both'o us are settled on our feelings towards Jack." All he did was shake his head in pure hatred. He stood and made her an offer, "Rum?" "A bottle for both of us." He wasn't complaining. 

He grabbed two bottles of rum and sat down, handing her a bottle. They popped the lids off and clinked bottles and took a swig. "This is awful," she said. "I love it." Charles laughed. "Like many other things in your life, aye?" She bobbed her head side to side as she thought up a sarcastic answer. "Much like you." After that, she took a nonchalant drink. He looked at her, squinting a look of subtle anger, but the smile he was trying to hide overwhelmed him. "You're an ass," he finally cracked. 

"I can go make another camp somewhere else, if ya really want me to leave." She joked, well knowing that he didn't want such a thing. "No, Darlin', no! You are fine here and I'd like for you to stay here." Taking another drink, she said, "Heh, that's what I figured." She set the bottle down in the sand after digging it a small hole it would fit into. "The sun's soon to set. Will ya help me make a fire?" 

"Not able to do it yourself, eh?" he teased her. "I can," speaking as she stood. "I'd just like the company." He just about laughed but stopped himself from doing so. He never thought he'd live to see the day where someone else, a woman of all people, requested his company. Instead, he grinned and looked down to his bottle as he tried to hide his face. He felt that his face was heating up, which had only happened to him when he was full of rage. So, blushing due to embarrassment of feeling a thing such as love, was a foreign feeling to him. Something inside of him reveled in the feeling. 

When he spoke to give her a serious answer, his tone was calm, "I'll be happy to, Love." Elizabeth picked up on his change of tone, but didn't show it. However, she did take note of what she thinks got that reaction out of him. It was a reaction she hasn't seen from him since the night she quit working at the Tavern. 

With remembering the Tavern and Anne, she shed a few tears as they began to work on digging a firepit. "Hey, hey, what's wrong?" She wiped her eyes after he spoke then she cleared her throat. "Anne..." He reached over and caressed her arm lightly and offered reassurance. "I'm sure Kenway'll tell her what happened. I have faith that he will. She won't worry about you 'cause she knows you got yourself." She nodded and they continued their work. 

In no time, the firepit was dug and lined properly. Some wood and dead leafs were placed into it and Vane splashed a bit of rum onto it. Within the next few minutes, they had started a fire and cheered at their achievement. The sunset was behind the waterfall and the night sky was taking over. But, just over the waterfall, were still the colors of the sunset- fiery orange and red, hot pink, and lavender. The falling night sky was light blue and teal with a few stars painted into view. They sat next to the fire and sipped on their rum in silence as they watched the ever shifting colors of the sky. 

While sitting, Charles remembered what she said earlier, "This is awful... I love it... Much like you." He didn't pick up on it until then. Although she was talking about the rum, he wondered if she did mean him since she gave him as an example. Out of all the things she could have mentioned, it was him. It warmed him. This wasn't the rum talking. The thought of Elizabeth saying that warmed him. He wasn't entirely sure if he had read that properly, so he decided to ask. He wasn't the type of person to get anxious when confronting others, but she did it for him.

"Elizabeth? What'd you mean earlier when you said "much like you"?" She looked at him, confused, not remembering what she said. At first it discouraged him, but he had to know either way. "When you said that the rum was awful but you love it 'nyway? Then I-" "Oh!!" she shouted and slammed her bottle down. "That, yeah. Sorry, I forgot that I said that for a moment." "For a moment." he thought. It wasn't as disheartening as he thought the topic would be. "Aye. What'd y'mean when you brought me up as 'n example of awful but lovable things in your life?" His courage right then was matched with that of the night at the Tavern when he told her he was visiting to see her. 

She laughed nervously for a few seconds, but the longer she laughed, it trailed distant and became quiet. "I-" she paused and licked her lips, still nervous. "You know, Charles? I- I wish I knew..." Her mind searched on for an explanation for him. She knew she had said it, she remembered she did, she just wasn't sure why she made the joke in the first place. She asked herself if it was a joke at all or if there was some hidden insult within it. She pulled herself from her thoughts and looked over to him to answer, "Vane. I really don't know. All I can tell ya is that there wasn't no insult behind it. I know that I made it sound like a joke but- I don't... I don't know." She looked down to the sand and traced shapes and letters into it lazily.


	4. Here to Kill Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charles almost tells Elizabeth how he feels, but it doesn't go how he had thought it would.

"You know what?" Charles broke the silence. "Forget it." She sighed at his response and he stood up and began to walk away. "I want to give you an answer, you know! I just can't think of one right now..." He stopped in his tracks and turned to her. "Ya know, Kenway told me a while back- oh, last year at some point when we was staying in Nassau before heading out to sea- he told me that you two had a talk." Elizabeth knew what he was about to bring up. She gripped the neck of the bottle tightly and took a breath in, a nervous wreck, breathing heavily and unsteady. 

"He told me that you said you care about me. He didn't really specify- because YOU wouldn't for him!" He paused for a second. "And that's some fuckin' bullshit. All the poor man could give me was what he thought you had on your mind. He assumed you have feelings for me, er somethin' of the sort. And you wanna know what, Love? I have not been able to stop fucking thinking about that." She swore that she saw his eyes glisten over with tears, but he didn't let them fall, no matter how much his voice faltered. With his free hand, he pointed at her, "How fucking DARE you keep somethin' like that to yourself. From Edward. How dare you keep it from me!" He sighed loudly. "I can't fuckin' believe you, Elizabeth. I don't know at the moment if you've ever actually had some type'a connection with me or some nonsense like that. But, Goddamn, I sure as Hell do with you." Before she could speak, and not that she was about to, Vane added, "And don't come to me to tell me shit. I don't care to hear it." He turned and began to walk away. When he was just within earshot, he added quietly, "Not right now, at least." He made sure Elizabeth was able to hear the last part, which she did. 

She kept to herself next to the dying fire. She just stared at the sky and waterfall while listening to the fire crackle. Charles had called her out. She hated being called out, but there aren't many people who enjoy being called out. She felt guilty, rightfully so, because she knew Charles was right. She should have never kept it to herself, even while talking to Edward. She knew that Vane might have been a bit upset if he heard second hand from Kenway, but he would have understood. Honestly, Vane would have much preferred to hear it all from Kenway, even if it wasn't from Elizabeth herself. That way, he knew what she was feeling and what was on her mind. 

Charles knew that she was a recluse for the most part and around the correct people, she was very outgoing. Vane was one of those people. She had always been open and honest with him with whatever she had to talk about. He couldn't wrap his head around why she would have no issue with spilling about him to Edward, or to Vane about her past lovers or sex life. He didn't mind that she told him, but it confused him beyond his own comprehension why she couldn't be up front with him about something so personal. 

The entire situation didn't only make him uncomfortable in the worst way, but it all reminded him of why he didn't want to love someone else. More so, why he didn't want somebody else to love him. He felt too complicated on multiple levels. He understood that he's a lot to handle most of the time. But experiencing what he did in the past, he knew how to correct himself and move on from it, hopefully making it more bearable for the other to deal with him. 

That's what he felt like other people were doing with him- dealing with him and nothing more. So whenever Elizabeth showed any patience or support for him, it was reassuring, more than he would lead on. 

Vane had made his way to the hut and sat down with his back against the wall. He went to take a sip of the rum, but he made a look of scorn at the bottle and threw it outside. It hit a rock and broke. Rum spilled everywhere. He didn't care if it was a waste. Elizabeth had seen this and jumped at the sound of the glass breaking. 

She put her face in her hands and sighed as she tried to hold back tears. She was upset with herself because she knew that all of it could have been easily avoided. 

Two hours had passed since Charles had walked away. Elizabeth was still sitting next to the firepit, though the fire had died down to orange embers. She took in the sight of the moon reflecting off of the water and wished that she could change her actions. "Maybe if I never met him..." she whispered to herself. Vane was still in the hut, still sitting against the wall. He had his head in his arms as they balanced on his knees. He had been fighting off the stinging of tears at his eyes since he entered the hut. He found it hard to comprehend why he was so hurt by what she did, or rather didn't do. 

For a moment, he also thought how things would have been if he never met her, never offered her to sit with him at the Tavern. But he quickly shook the thought and continued to be grateful that she was in his life. A few tears fell when he admitted this to himself. He breathed in and looked up. He could see out of the hut, just enough, to see that Elizabeth was in the water fishing. 

He watched her movements closely and couldn't help but smile to himself when she would jump to spear a fish. She flashed a look back to the hut but returned her focus on the water. He jumped, cautious so that she might not see him watching her. 

He gathered up the courage to go out and help her. Before he walked out, he removed his ascot and tossed it down to the ground. 

He walked up behind her, not yet in the water, and spoke softly, "If you need it, I'll help." She jumped from the surprise and turned to face him. "Jesus, Man! You startled me." He could tell that she was upset, her voice wasn't the same. He laughed, but apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." 

"But, ah, yeah. I could use some help." She tossed him a spear, but he put it down next to him and made his way into the water. Her focus was on the fish, so she didn't notice he had set down the spear. "I wanted to talk." He was close to her, by her side. She averted her attention from the water and to Charles, though not making eye contact with him. "If you want to curse at me or yell at me, go for it. I deserve it." He shook his head and took the spear from her hand, also setting it down on the ground. 

"That's not what I'm here to do." Elizabeth suddenly said, "I don't want an apology. I'm sorry." Her apology was muffled due to her throwing her arms around him in a hug, her face buried in his chest. He gladly wrapped his arms around her in return. His hands glided up and down her back calmly. "It's alright, Elizabeth. I ain't mad with you." 

She pulled herself from the hug and wiped her eyes before she could cry. "I know I yelled at ya but I'm not mad." It took them a few seconds to realize that they were holding hands, too shocked to pull away or say anything. They smiled at one another nervously, which turned to nervous laughter. "So, ah. We gonna fish, or...?" Vane asked. "I thought you wanted to talk?"

"Aye, yeah." He said and brought her hands up to his lips. He kissed one hand gently, then the next.


End file.
